In the wake of Dobbs v. Jackson Women\u2019s Health Organization (2022), as reproductive rights in the United States is increasingly under threat, and in the wake of President Biden\u2019s withdrawal from the presidential campaign, Catherine Lederer-Plaskett, a Fieldston parent of three alums, stands as a determined advocate for abortion rights. Lederer-Plaskett is the President and Chair of Westchester Coalition for Legal Abortion (WCLA) – Choice Matters, the nation\u2019s oldest ongoing pro-choice advocacy group. She has expanded the organization\u2019s influence in the fight for fair health policies and legislation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lederer-Plaskett\u2019s work included helping to pass the Reproductive Health Act in New York State on January 22, 2019, which expanded access to reproductive health care and codified the protections of Roe v. Wade (1973) into state law. She later collaborated with the County Attorney\u2019s Office to draft the Westchester 2022 Safe Clinic Access Legislation \u2013 the only one of its kind nationally that protects both the inside and outside of reproductive healthcare facilities. Lederer-Plaskett went on to found the Center for Analysis and Tracking of Clinic Harassers (CATCH), an initiative working with law enforcement to protect clinics and prosecute attackers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lederer-Plaskett underscored the importance of the upcoming presidential election when thinking about the future of women\u2019s health rights. She argued that we need a unified Democratic government to safeguard reproductive rights and influence the current 6-3 conservative Supreme Court composition. She said the Court\u2019s future is frightening because the next president will likely appoint 1-2 Supreme Court justices. \u201cIf we don\u2019t keep the White House, it\u2019s over for younger generations. If we do hold it, we can begin to take back the court,\u201d said Lederer-Plaskett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recently, the Roberts Court, which is sometimes referred to as the \u201cTrump Court,\u201d decided not to intervene in a lower court\u2019s decision, temporarily allowing hospitals in Idaho to perform emergency abortions without facing prosecution under the state\u2019s abortion ban. This move effectively postpones a definitive ruling on the matter until after the election, when the far right is expected to bring the issue back to the Supreme Court to rule definitively whether federal law, such as the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA), overrides strict state abortion bans. Doctors and other healthcare workers in Idaho remain in a precarious situation as there is still confusion when state anti-abortion laws apply when a woman\u2019s health is threatened. According to the Washington Post, 1 in 5 OB\/GYNs have left the state due to the uncertainty. \u201cAs they [anti-abortionists] push a fetal personhood agenda, it\u2019s an anti-woman agenda,\u201d said Lederer-Plaskett.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In June, SCOTUS ruled that the plaintiffs in the mifepristone abortion pill decision did not have any legal standing. Lederer-Plaskett explained this was a way to say, \u201cBring the case again, just with somebody else.\u201d She added that these decisions are seen as a stalling tactic by the conservative majority on the court, aiming to avoid political backlash before the upcoming election by further restricting abortion access.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Other significant threats to reproductive rights include out-of-state prosecution, which abortion providers and patients in New York State, as well as other liberal states with reproductive rights, need to be protected from, said Lederer-Plaskett. She argued that uninformed state legislators should not push for restrictive abortion laws. Despite Roe v. Wade being overturned, shifting the abortion issue to individual states, many people assume that liberal states would continue to protect abortion rights. But, in reality, access to abortion and reproductive rights, even in liberal states, is slashed. Mike Lawler, Lederer-Plaskett pointed out, who is running for re-election in Congressional District 17 in New York, has voted for a national abortion ban twice and against abortion care nine times, including against abortion access for the military, amongst other groups. \u201cActions such as this,\u201d said Lederer-Plaskett, \u201cmake it very difficult for a state like New York or California to protect its people and the people coming into the state to receive abortion care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Lederer-Plaskett calls for active engagement in the fight for reproductive rights, urging people to move beyond social media activism. \u201cBecome a local high school volunteer, get involved, make it more than a talking point and a bumper sticker. Too many people want to sit on Social Media and simply like or share something and don\u2019t do anything,\u201d said Lederer-Plaskett. She has even had interns from Fieldston volunteer. Whether advocating for the Equal Rights Amendment or supporting political candidates, Lederer-Plaskett stressed that every effort contributes significantly to advancing reproductive rights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n